Mother
by SamBelle
Summary: Professor McGonagall followed the cat, and was led right to a sleeping Hermione. She laid curled up in a far corner of the library, surrounded by books and notes. The girl appeared to have been crying, for she had dried tear tracks on her cheeks. Mass art post by me on tumblr 23/06/2018. Link on profile.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is another story inspired by Florence and the Machine. The song's name is Mother, from the album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. I will post the second (and last) chapter tomorrow. Enjoy and please review.**

 **PS. I do not own Florence and the Machine or Harry Potter.**

"And that, children, is the effect of the Lapifors Spell" said Professor McGonagall, turning to face her third-year students. She was holding a fat, grey rabbit. Just a moment ago, said rabbit had been a teacup, but was used to demonstrate the effects of the spell.

"Now, the incantation _Lapifors_ is made up of two parts: lapi, which comes from the Latin word lepus, meaning rabbit, and fors, the suffix used in most transforming spells-" the Professor continued, stopping when Hermione's hand shot up. " Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Lepus _actually_ means hare, Professor, not rabbit" Hermione corrected, feeling rather pleased with herself. It's been a while since she last corrected someone, for she'd been to busy lately to pay close enough attention to do so.

Professor McGonagall looked rather taken aback, secretly feeling very proud, but being rather annoyed just the same. "Well, yes, Miss Granger" she said. "Well spotted." It's been ages since the last time she was corrected by a student; usually they didn't pay enough attention to notice such errors. Of course lepus meant hare, it was the French word lapin that meant rabbit. How could she be so stupid?

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Professor McGonagall was rather surprised when she saw Crookshanks, Miss Granger's cat, in a corridor later that day. It was just past curfew, and she was in cat-form, patrolling the castle. It was strange to see the cat so far from the Gryffindor Tower, and what was even stranger was how the cat seemed to be beckoning her towards the library.

The professor followed the cat, and was led right to a sleeping Hermione. She laid curled up in a far corner of the library, surrounded by books and notes. The girl appeared to have been crying, for she had dried tear tracks on her cheeks. Professor McGonagall reached out a hand to gently shake the girl's shoulder. Hermione startled awake and immediately started apologising.

"I'm so sorry, Professor. I must've lost track of time, I didn't mean to fall asleep" she said in a hysteric voice, scurrying to gather all of her things. Professor McGonagall simply observed from her hunched-over position.

"Are you okay, Miss Granger?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Professor. I just didn't realise how late it was" Hermione answered, still sorting her things.

"You don't always have to be perfect, you know. You are allowed to make mistakes" said Professor McGonagall, sitting down next to the young girl.

Hermione stopped moving and stared at her teacher. "I'm sorry for correcting you today" she said softly, looking down at the carpet. Professor McGonagall simply waved her off.

"I was actually proud. Very few students have paid enough attention to notice such errors" she said with a smile. "What were you crying about earlier, my dear?" she asked, concerned about what was upsetting her student.

Hermione simply shook her head, unable to make eye-contact with her mentor. "Was it about the boggart?" Professor McGonagall asked. Hermione's eyes went wide. How did she know about that? Nobody knew about that, she made sure of it. "I can't imagine your worst fear involves me, you already faced that fear when you corrected me" the professor continued. Hermione had to stop herself from sighing with relief. She only suspected then, but didn't know anything for certain.

"It's not" Hermione said sadly. "But I don't want to talk about it." Hermione's boggart wasn't failing everything, it was something far worse. It was worse because she wasn't sure what it meant or why she feared it. She only pretended that is was failing everything, because that was what everybody expected.

"You don't have to, dear, but I'm here if you want to" Professor McGonagall said. She picked up a book from the pile beside Hermione. "I remember this one. I read it right around when I was your age" she said, earning her a small smile from her student. She was getting worried about her; this wasn't like Hermione. She wasn't sure how she expected the girl to act, but it wasn't like this. Something was bothering her.

"I'm very proud of you, dear. You have a brilliant mind and I know that you are tougher and braver than even you believe yourself to be, and I am proud to have you in my house" said Professor McGonagall. At Hermione's confused expression, she continued. "I know things aren't always fine at home. There's no need to panic, dear, I don't know any details, but I am here if you need me."

A single tear ran down Hermione's face. She couldn't look her teacher in the eye, even though she tried to. She appreciated what the professor was saying, but she couldn't bring herself to show it. After a brief silence, she let out a stifled yawn.

Professor McGonagall hugged the young Gryffindor to her, keeping an arm on her shoulders even after she let go, and opened the book she previously picked up. She read the book for a while, until she heard the girl's soft, deep breathing. She stroked Hermione's hair lovingly before standing up to levitate her back to the dorms. Sleeping in the library might seem fun, but it wasn't nearly as comfortable as an actual mattress.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This chapter was inspired by the song Daughter by Sleeping At Last (even though it is the second chapter to one of my Florence and the Machine inspired stories). Thank you for reading and please review.**

A soft sniff was heard through the door. Professor McGonagall knocked softly before turning the doorknob to the third-year girls dormitories. "Miss Granger?" she said, peering around the door. Hermione laid curled up on the bed, back towards the door. She was crying softly, and was hoping that nobody would see her like this.

The professor entered the room and closed the door before moving to go sit next to the girl on the bed. She was worried when the girl didn't show up to class, and was convinced to come check up on her student when Miss Brown complained about Hermione tossing and turning all night.

"Whatever's the matter, dear?" asked Professor McGonagall., rubbing the girl's back comfortingly.

"It's nothing" Hermione sniffed, although very unconvincingly.

"Miss Granger, three days ago you were attacked by goodness-knows how many dementors to the extent that you were unconscious for over an hour, I find it hard to believe that you would skip class to lie in bed crying about nothing" said Professor McGonagall.

"I'm fine" Hermione muttered, curling up deeper into her covers.

"You are not fine, but that's alright. I'd be more worried about you if you were, as you say, 'fine'" the professor said firmly. "This wouldn't have anything to do with what the dementors reminded you of, would it?" she asked carefully.

Hermione nodded slowly before sitting up. Her hair was a mess, and she knew that her face was blotchy from all the crying. "It's the same as my boggart" she sniffed, running a hand through her hair. Professor McGonagall's eyebrows rose, but she hoped that the girl didn't notice her surprise. She wasn't expecting Hermione to start talking so easily.

"And that worries you?" the professor asked.

Once again, Hermione nodded. She stared at her hands in her lap for a second, sorting her thoughts. "It worries me because I don't know what it is. When it comes I can feel the panic building up inside of me, but I don't know why" she sniffed. Her hands were now playing with the blanket.

"It starts with the darkness. I'm sitting alone in the dark, I'm afraid, but I know that the darkness has nothing to do with it" she started, her hands gesturing slightly in her lap. "The curtains aren't properly drawn; I can see the moon reflecting off the butterflies on the wall, so I must be in my room at my mother's house. Something must've happened in between, because the next thing I remember is pain. I don't know where it's coming from, and I don't know what's causing it. I-I don't remember" she sniffed, tears running down her cheeks.

Professor McGonagall hugged the crying girl to her, muttering reassurances into her hair. Hermione slid her hand under her shirt and removed the gold chain from around her neck, handing the time-turner to her teacher. "I don't want it anymore. It makes me feel out of control" she said, leaning back against her teacher. "I don't need another thing I can fail at" she muttered.

Professor McGonagall leaned back so she could see her student's face. "And what exactly are you failing?" she asked, slightly bewildered. Hermione Granger doesn't fail- she gets 112% for her charms exams.

"Everything. I'm failing at facing my fear, because I can't even figure out what it is. I'm just a failure overall" Hermione whispered, looking ashamed.

"You, my dear, are a force to be reckoned with. You have the brightest mind I've ever seen. You are so talented, but you don't see what you've achieved because you are focusing too much on the tiny flaws. Nothing will ever be perfect, dear, and that's alright. We're not supposed to be perfect" said Professor McGonagall.

Hermione wrapped her arms around herself, still trembling from all the crying. "Hermione, I'm so proud of you, of how you've grown. You are so strong and you have such a beautiful heart, and I can't wait to see what you'll become. If you could only see the impact you already have on the world around you " said the professor, her own eyes welling with tears. "I want to see you lifting your chin a little higher and I want to hear you speaking your mind more often, because you are ready to change the world" the professor said, lifting the girl's face to look at her.

"Thank you" was all Hermione could get out before the tears came again. She started sobbing, the sounds breaking Professor McGonagall's heart. She moved closer and held the girl tightly, allowing her to rid herself of all the pain.

 **A/N: Hermione's memories are explained in What Kind Of Man and the first chapter of The Bookworm and The King (both are pretty much the same, What kind Of Man just focuses solely on it).**


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